Welsh Government Unveils New Vision

The Welsh Government has released their latest proposals for a post-Brexit farm support system. The document, ‘Sustainable Farming and Our Land’, proposes paying farmers through a single scheme, instead of their previously suggested two-tiers.

Payments would be based on achieving results such as
improving air and water quality, which would come from producing food in ways
it regards as more sustainable. Such methods would include reducing levels of
antibiotics used in livestock, applying fertiliser in a targeted way, animal
health planning or improving soil husbandry and grassland management.

The payments themselves would be annual, but with contracts
over multiple years, allowing farmers to plan around that income. Unlike the
Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) the payments would be based on outcomes, not
entitlements and would only support active farmers – meaning no more cash for
simply owning the land.

The last full BPS payments are expected in 2020, and with
the UK to still yet to leave the EU, an extension on the transition periods
from the existing schemes cannot be ruled out.